CXC withdraws plans to suspend STEM and environmental subjects

TThe Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) has reversed its decision to suspend four examination subjects, including green engineering, citing a new plan to increase demand for STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and environmentally-focused courses across the region.

At a press conference on Tuesday at the CXC headquarters in Barbados, CXC Registrar and CEO Dr. Wayne Wesley said that after consultation with regional education ministers, the decision was made to continue offering the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) Green Engineering and Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology, as well as the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Agricultural Science (Double Award) and Industrial Technology – Mechanical Engineering option.

CXC had previously announced that it would discontinue the courses due to low enrollment numbers, sparking widespread criticism.

While acknowledging that it is difficult to generate interest in these issues, Wesley outlined initiatives to promote their relevance to the region’s economic competitiveness.

“Governments have formulated a plan to promote an economy based on climate resilience, agriculture, food security and environmental protection,” he said.

He expressed confidence that this commitment, combined with effective marketing to students, would increase demand within schools.

Regional education officials raised concerns with CXC about challenges in implementing the program, including teacher shortages, lack of student interest and inadequate facilities, officials said. CXC Pro-Registrar and Deputy CEO Dr. Eduardo Ali cited outdated infrastructure, inadequate practical training and a shortage of qualified teachers as capacity issues.

“The subjects were challenging because there was a lack of human (resources) to provide support in areas such as welding, plumbing and electrical installation… physical resources such as textbooks were also a challenge that the system did not provide,” he said. told journalists.

Another obstacle was the limited prospects for academic progress, as many universities did not require the subjects as an entry requirement. For those studying environmental engineering and electrical engineering, mathematics and physics were the preferred options, not the subjects themselves, Ali noted.

“One of our findings is that in many cases there are no opportunities for career advancement beyond the disciplines because many universities and community colleges do not make them an admission requirement for their programs,” he said.

“For those studying environmental engineering and electrical engineering, mathematics and physics were the options preferred by universities rather than environmental engineering itself or electrical engineering.”

CXC now plans to work with governments to increase demand for new technologies and science offerings, as enrolment numbers are low in many areas.

Last week, opposition Senator Tricia Watson criticised the original plan to suspend control, questioning whether CXC served “financial and economic purposes” rather than serving the region.

Senator Watson also criticized Education Secretary Kay McConney and her department for their “silence” on the matter: “I thought CXC was there to serve us. Is CXC just about profitability or about cost savings and convenience? None of this is heard from our Minister of Education; the same government that will ensure that we integrate STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) into our education in the future because that is the way forward.”

Wesley addressed the resource issues, saying that issues raised include “the resources available to the education system to enable the implementation of these programs.” He stressed that securing qualified teachers, adequate laboratory facilities and gaining the interest of students were the key challenges.

To overcome these hurdles, CXC is planning a marketing campaign that, in addition to government funding, will highlight the relevance of the topics.

“Effectively communicating exam topics to students will lead to greater demand in the regional school system,” said the CXC executive director.

Council Presidents expressed optimism that the new strategy, which involves working with governments to increase enrolment in high-volume science and technology programmes, will be consistent with the region’s economic and sustainable development goals. (SM)